Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in India
India: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national was 16.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in India, 1971–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in India is 16.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in India peaked at 33.8% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 2018.
India ranks 159th of 174 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 16.7% | — |
| 1981 | 33.8% | +102.8% |
| 1991 | 29.8% | -11.8% |
| 1994 | 25.8% | -13.5% |
| 2000 | 24.1% | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 29.9% | +24.2% |
| 2005 | 27.8% | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 19.2% | -30.8% |
| 2012 | 17.4% | -9.3% |
| 2018 | 10.0% | -42.8% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | +20.9% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 12.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 13.1% | +7.1% |
| 2023 | 17.5% | +33.7% |
| 2024 | 16.9% | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 16.5% | -2.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 16.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 32.7%, 50% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- India's 16.5% is below the median for South Asia, which is 23.2%, 71% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +102.8% | 16.7% | 33.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 33.8% | 33.8% | 33.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 27.8% | 25.8% | 29.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 27.3% | 24.1% | 29.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 14.7% | 10.0% | 19.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 14.7% | 12.2% | 17.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More work & labour data for India
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5078 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 876,613 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 782,365 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 743,542 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 761,710 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1.51 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in India?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in India was 16.5% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 33.8% in 1981.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 2018.
- How does India rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%)?
- India ranks 159th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.